If Léon Marchand was the home-country hero of the first week of the Olympics, perhaps Celine Boutier could be the toast of France in Week 2.
The native Parisian shot an impressive 7-under 65 Wednesday in the first round of the women’s Olympic golf tournament for an early three-shot lead. South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai was in second at 4 under and a pack of four players tied for third at 2 under included Lilia Vu of the U.S.
Boutier made eight birdies opposite one bogey at Le Golf National on a day where only 12 women in the 60-player field broke par.
“I’m really over the moon with the way the tournament started for me,” Boutier said. “Definitely wasn't sure what to expect today, but I was able to take advantage of a few opportunities out there.”
The 30-year-old won the Evian Championship last year, an LPGA major, in Évian-les-Bains, France, on the country’s eastern border near Switzerland. She downplayed her local knowledge of Le Golf National but acknowledged the energy off the home crowds who got progressively louder, especially as she made three consecutive birdies from the 14th through 16th holes.
“I think the only way I could compare it is maybe like a Solheim Cup event, there was kind of similar energy,” Boutier said. “But, yeah, definitely nice to experience that.”
Vu made four birdies in her first seven holes but bogeyed two of her last three to get in with a 2-under 70 as the low American in Round 1.
“It was a little tough out there, but we managed,” Vu said. “I think this is a little more difficult than what we're used to, the setup. I think the greens are firm, and there's a lot of island greens, and you have to place the right shots in the fairway to hit to different types of greens.
“You can't really come out here and go on autopilot. You have to think about every single shot.”
The other two American players, Rose Zhang and Nelly Korda, each shot even-par 72. Korda, the defending gold medalist from Tokyo and world No. 1, was 3 over through seven holes but battled back to get to even.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as France’s Celine Boutier Takes Early Three-Shot Lead in Women’s Olympic Golf.
